Not since the first parricide asked the judge for mercy because of his orphanhood has anyone punched the chutzpah card as hard as freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) did when he tried to accuse us of maliciously editing down video of his statements after his catspaw back home in the district forced us to take down the full length video with a bogus copyright infringement claim.
CNN’s Joe Johns has now done a follow up with the rest of the sordid Duffy tale. Watch.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the conservative think tank that FOIA’d labor studies professors in Michigan this week, has called in the FBI after receiving threatening voicemails that included a bomb threat.
My report here.
These are good times for people who think it shouldn’t be so easy for younger, poorer or just darker skinned folks to vote. At least 27 “voter ID” bills are in the works in states around the country. And a federal voter ID law may be in the works as well.
In response to President Obama’s reelection announcement, Tim Pawlenty has dropped yet another of his action thriller, fast-cut super-hero campaign videos. To me, I’m not sure his campaign is really going to catch fire before he debuts his official 2012 metal exoskeleton. But we’ll see. Video after the jump. Read More
According to a new report out of Wisconsin, the state was much closer to something that could genuinely be called a constitutional crisis than it appeared at the time. Capitol Republicans could not find a state police agency willing to arrest the runaway Dems and were warned repeatedly that their actions could be illegal.
This is what it’s all about. Rep. Ryan is poised to introduce the Republicans ten year budget plan. Key point, according to advance reports, it abolishes Medicare and pushed seniors back into the private health insurance market. In its place, ironically, Ryan creates a system of subsidies not totally unlike what the president’s Health Care Reform law does for people under 65. Full abolition takes effect at the end of ten years.
As House Republicans cue up their Medicare Phase-out legislation, we’re about to be treated, once again, to an example of how political actors use press cowardice to deceive the public. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan, which is now the official Republican plan, phases out Medicare over 10 years. Yet you’ll be treated to numerous articles that call this a ‘reform’ or ‘overhaul’ or even ‘saving’ Medicare. But each are no better than straight outright deceptions, whether by design or ignorance. Read More
Remember, everyone is going to be making up stories on this. But for Rep. Ryan and his Republican colleagues, steep cuts to Medicare weren’t enough. They insisted on abolishing the program in its entirety. 10% cuts to the program? 30% cuts to the program? 50%?
Still not enough?
Not enough. Eliminate the entire program. Let’s not lie about what this does. Get rid of the whole thing. 10 year fuse and then complete elimination of the entire program.
The Wisconsin drama has been going on for close to two months now. And there’ve been so many moving parts, so many different threads of the story. So today we’re rolling out a new interactive timeline of all the events from the beginning of the battle until today. Check out and let us know what you think. Is the information arranged in a way you find useful? How would you suggest improving it? We’re eager to get your feedback. Take a look.
Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Caucuses last time. And his political director in the state — the person who’s most important in such a contest — just signed on with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Now, the dearest aspirations of comedians around the country notwithstanding, Michele Bachmann just ain’t going to be the Republican presidential nominee. But could she win Iowa? I don’t have any question she could. And if she did, wouldn’t that basically end the campaign of her fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty?